The article below appeared on the Boston Globe a few weeks ago. Samba AFRICAN LEADERS LASH OUT AT UN, WEST ACCUSED OF KEEPING CONTINENT IN POVERTY Author: By John Donnelly, Globe Staff Date: 09/09/2000 Page: A1 Section: National/Foreign UNITED NATIONS - Amid a year that has seen intensive international attention toward Africa and its daunting list of troubles, dozens of angry African leaders fired back this week at Western powers, saying concern alone is not enough. As the United Nations millennium summit finished three days of deliberations and speeches yesterday, an overriding theme emerged from African heads of state who charged that the forces of globalization are enriching the West anew while sentencing them to even more misery. "We were slaves, then there was colonization, and we are saying that even with globalization we will never become global slaves again," President Yahya Jammeh of Gambia said in an interview in his hotel suite overlooking Central Park. "It took African blood, sweat, and tears to build the West, and now the West, instead of respecting us, is treating us like dogs." Several African leaders voiced solidarity with the grass-roots international movement against the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, suggesting that an alliance was possible. "From Seattle to Washington, D.C., from Davos to London, and in many other places, people have spoken and signaled in no uncertain terms that the present world order, particularly in economic, trade, and development areas, is unsatisfactory and needs to be reformed," said Anund Priyay Neewoor, UN ambassador from the tiny island nation of Mauritius. "What the people have said in the streets now, the developing countries have been saying for many years in various international fora with little success," he said. Resentment from Africa is not uncommon at world events, but this time it came in a year in which the United Nations held extensive hearings in January on the continent's needs. On Thursday, a historic meeting of the UN Security Council focused on revamping peacekeeping operations, with Africa very much in mind. The Clinton administration, as well, has rhetorically elevated African policy to a higher plane than any previous administration. Clinton traveled twice to the continent, most recently last month to Nigeria and Tanzania. And his administration has advocated debt forgiveness, increased spending to fight HIV/AIDS and faster deployment of better-trained UN peacekeepers to defuse conflicts. But at the three-day summit, leader after leader from African nations attacked the West, some specifically mentioning the United States. They said the Western powers talked a good game about extending the benefits of globalization to Africa but then stood by as corporations plundered riches from the continent. President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa decried the day-to-day misery of one-sixth of all people in the world who survive on less than $1 a day, saying it should be "offensive" to all leaders at the summit. The General Assembly, as expected, passed a resolution yesterday that had sweeping goals on behalf of the poor, including lifting an astronomical 600 million people out of extreme poverty in 15 years. "The poor of the world stand at the gates of the comfortable mansions occupied by each and every king and queen, president, prime minister, and minister privileged to attend this unique meeting," Mbeki said. And J.J. Rawlings, the president of Ghana, singled out multinational corporations as nourishing and "thrusting" corruption on Africa. Rawlings, and other African leaders this week, did not turn the spotlight on the role of the continent's rulers in nurturing such corruption. Instead, they portrayed themselves as victims of globalization, burdened by debt, forced to accept harmful economic terms to secure World Bank loans, and falling far behind the rest of the world in technological advancement. All week, one of the most forceful voices was Gambia's Jammeh, who said it was time that African nations received far better reimbursement for their natural wealth. "When you look at Africa today - we are one of the richest continents in terms of raw materials - because of the lack of technology and lack of means of extracting oil and diamonds and other materials, foreign companies come and exploit and set their own terms and say, `Take it or leave it.' "It is either accept what they offer or you will have no jobs for people," he said. "We have no choice." He also singled out the World Bank's influence. In Gambia, the World Bank pushed for privatization of several state industries. The first was the peanut industry, which had employed 14,000 people. After the industry was sold, a foreign company closed the processing plant and shipped the peanuts abroad for processing. Now the industry employs fewer than 700. "We are now importing peanut oil into the country," Jammeh said. "It's ridiculous." Jammeh, 36, is not on the Clinton administration's list of promising African leaders. That is largely due to the way he came to power - a bloodless military coup in 1994, only six months after Jammeh completed military police training in Port McClellan, Ala. Jammeh said he and other young army officers overthrew the government of Dawda Jawara because of corruption and economic stagnation that resulted in an 84 percent unemployment rate. After the coup, the United States and the European Union suspended much of their trade. In 1996, Jammeh won election as president in a vote that was questioned by some international groups, and since then his government has been criticized by human rights groups for detaining its critics, including journalists and politicians. But he also has built numerous schools and formed a foundation to provide better health care. Still, his relationship with the US government remains frosty. One of his priorities this week was to meet with human rights activists and encourage them to observe next year's elections. Peter Takiram Budde, director of the Africa division of Human Rights Watch, said he appreciated Jammeh's offer. "I was surprised and intrigued by the fact that he didn't want people to come merely for the elections, but that he wanted them to come for the process leading up to them as well," Budde said after spending two hours with Jammeh. "We have nothing to hide," the president said. And yet, perhaps because of his country's human rights record, or because of Jammeh's outspoken opposition to the forces of globalization, his country is having trouble attracting new businesses. One possibility arose this week, with the announcement of a plan for a $5 million investment to build a flour mill. If terms are finalized, the deal would create 140 jobs. Gambia has 1.4 million people. Jammeh understands the terms of battle. But he said that he, and others on his continent, would continue to demand better deals for Africa. "We are not afraid of any power, big or small," he said. "We want to make sure Africa is respected." All week long, the president of Africa's smallest nation wore a traditional white robe and white slip-on leather shoes. And everywhere he went, from lunches with the leaders of the West to the podium at the General Assembly, Jammeh carried a sword wrapped in prayer beads. It was a tip-off, if one were needed, that he was ready for battle. 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